Five people saved by 3-year-old organ donor

Mon, Sep 29, 2014, 01:18 PM

Beijing, Sep 29 : Five people in China are in stable condition after undergoing heart, liver, kidney and cornea transplants with organs donated by a three-year-old girl who died last week, doctors said Monday.

The donor, Liu Jingyao from Jiangxi province, was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour earlier this year, Xinhua reported.

Her parents visited multiple hospitals in several cities, but each doctor said the condition was too late to be cured.

The girl's head swelled and she began to have trouble speaking, eventually becoming confined to the bed.

Her father, Liu Xiaobao discussed the possibility of donating her organs after persuading other family members about the difficult decision.

"The word 'donation' was difficult for her to understand, so I tried to explain that if we would give something from her body, she could save the lives of others. She agreed to this," Liu Xiaobao said.

The girl's physical condition deteriorated earlier last week and she died Sep 23.

Her organs were soon removed for transplantation.

"She was too young and some of the organs were very small. But we were able to transplant her kidneys into one patient. Her heart, liver and corneas were given to four other patients, respectively," a doctor said.